People Into Art

Although LAist knows that most die-hard Angelenos consider driving anywhere out of their zip code to be blasphemy, there comes a time when branching out of your area code (not just for dating) can have its advantages.

A wonderful example of one such advantage is the Pageant of the Masters, part of Laguna Beach's "Festival of Arts." The show, which painstakingly recreates some of history's greatest and most influential paintings and sculptures, uses real people, wardrobe and lighting to present the most stunning optical-illusion ever. Two-dimensional over-sized paintings fill the stage, only to take on movement as the actors break their stone-like poses to reveal the trickery within.

For art fans and their opposites (who fall asleep by simply catching a glimpse at the Mona Lisa), it is a top-notch show that is half art appreciation and half magic. And it sure beats the "when-will-they-get-new-music" fountain show at The Grove, anyday.

The show, a hot-ticket each year, runs nightly at 8:30 PM through August 28th. Tickets are $45.00.